2-hydroxy-delta1, 4-steroids



Unite The present invention relatesto anew .group of hor- 'mohal agents with low androgenic activity and, morepar- 't'ic'ularly, to Z hYdroXy-A -steioids variously substituted inthe 17-positi0n. These compounds can be represented by the general formula CH; CH3

wherein Xis a member of the class consisting "(if methylene, hydroxyrnethyl'ene in which .the hydrdxy radical is in the flfindsition, and carbonyl "grou s and Z "isamember of the class consisting of the carbonyl group and radicals of'the formula wherein A is a member of the class consisting of hydrogen,'hydroxyl and (lower alkyl) COO- groups and B is a member or the class-consisting of lower-alkyl, 'acetyl, hydroxyacetyl, (lower alkyl) radicals, and, except in the case where A is hydrogen, a hydrogen radical. The lower alkyl radical of both groups referred to in the p eceding, sentence can be methyl, ethyl, straight-chained "and branched propyl, butyl, pentyl, or hexyl.

' The compounds of this invention havevaluable'pha'rmacological properties. They are anabolic agents, i.e. they promote nitrogen retention, and they produce this effect at a dosage which causes only a very low degree androgenic activity. Another import-ant field of utility of these compounds is their progestational effect, an eflect which is not shared by the monounsaturated analogs, the 2-hydroxy-4-androstene derivatives. They are likewise useful in overcoming the hypertension produced by the mineralocorticoid "hormone desdxycdnt'icosterone. t

' These compounds are conveniently obtained by the selective oxidation of the corresphnding M steroid in the l-po'sitio'n with'an oxidizing agent,'e.g.*s'elenious' acid to give the seleno-l-dehydro"derivative and the subsequent hydrolysis to the 2-hydroxy-1,4-androstadiene denivative. An alternative procedure isthe selective oxidation'of a 2a-hydroXy-A -steroid in the l-po'sition using bismuth'trioxide in the presence of acetic acid followedbydehydretion.

tes Patent 2,948,740 Patented Aug. 9, 1 960 ice V This invention will appear in further detail from'the following examples. However, the invention is not to be construed as limited by the details set forth in spirit or in scope. It Will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous modifications of materials and methods can be practiced without departing from the invention. In these examples, temperatures are given in degrees centigrade C.) and relative amounts of materials inparts by weight.

' 7 Example '1 To a solution of 14 parts of testosterone in 240 parts of tertiary 'butyl alcoholcontaining 3 parts of .acetic "acid a-re added"6.5 'pafts dfselenious acid. The mixture:

is refluxed with'stirnng-rors hours. Then 2 more parts: of selenious acid are added and the mixture is refluxed "for hours longer. The rnixtureis cooled, filtered, an'dthe solventis -r'eindvc'dbyvacuum distillation. The: residue istaken 'upin 175 "parts of methylenechloride,

filtered, washed *with water and-then With several pordens of aqueous sodium bicai bo'nate, and dried over "anhydrous sodium sulfate. The organic solution is vacuum distilled. The residue is taken up in benzene and upon cooling and scratching, crystallization ensues. 'In this manner there'is thus obtained seleno-ldehydrotestosterone. The mother liquors are concentrated and chror'natographed on; silica .gel with benzene. The

"column is developed with benzene solution containing increasing concentrations of ethyl acetate. On elution with a 25% solution of ethyl acetate in benzene, evaporation ofthe solvent and repeated recrystallization of the residue from an acetone petroleum ether solution, there is thus obtained 22, l'ZB-dihydroxy-l,4 androstadien-3-one melting at about -207-209 C. The optical rotation a "of a chloroform solution is 2 0.1.

Example -2 To a solution of 5 partsof 2a-hydroxytestosterone and 20 parts of acetic acid are added 3 parts of bismuth trioxide. The'rn'ixture is heated with stirring at C. for 15 minutes. 3 additional parts of bismuth trioxide are added, and'the heating continued for an additional 45 minutes. The mixture is then filtered and 200 parts of Water and 200 parts of-ethyl acetate are added to the filtrate. The organic layer is separated, Washed with parts of Water, '75 parts of saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and

vacuum distilled. The residue is recrystallized-from acetone. There is thus obtained 2,17,6-dihydroxy-1g4- androstadien ii-one melting -at approximately 208- 210 C.

Example 3 To a solution of 2 parts of 2,17 ti-dihydroxy-lA-andro- 'stadien-3-one in- 1.5 parts of pyridine are added 0.5 part of acetic anhydride. steam bath'for 15 minutes, cooled to' 0 C., and diluted with water.

The solution is warmed on a The needles which precipitate are filtered, Washed with 'water, and dried. Upon recrystallization oi the 'product from an eithenpetroleum ether solution, there is thus obtained the diacetate of 2,17fl-dil1ydroxy- 1,4-androstadien-3-one melting atabout 205206 C.

tion gives Z-hydroXy-I,4-pregnadienek3,20 dione melting Example To a solution 'of 4 parts of 17a-methyltestosterone in 400 parts of carbon tetrachloride are added 2.5 parts of N-bromosuccinimide. The mixture is refluxed with stirring under an infrared lamp for 45 minutes. The reaction mixture is then filtered and cooled to 0 C. The precipitated crystalline product is collected on a filter and Washed with carbon tetrachloride. This product is re fiuxed for 4 hours with 12 parts of potassium acetate in 75 parts of acetic acid. The solution is then vacuum distilled and the residue is taken up in ethyl acetate and water. The organic layer is separated, washed with water and aqueous sodium bicarbonate, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and vacuum distilled. Upon recrystallization from an acetone-petroleum ether solution there is obtained 2a-acetoxy-l7a-methyltestosterone melting at about 199 C.

A solution of 1 part of 2a-acetoxy-l7a-methyltestosterone in 6.4 parts of methanol is treated for 4 minutes under nitrogen with 11.2 parts of l-M potassium hydroxide in methanol. Then 4.4 parts of 99% methanol are added. After 4 minutes the solution is acidified with 8 parts of 1.06 M acetic acid. The solution is vacuum distilled and the residue is taken up in ethyl acetate. The organic layer is washed with water, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and vacuum distilled. The crystalline residue is dissolved in 6 parts of acetic acid and heated at 100 C. with 0.5 part of bismuth trioxide for 15 minutes. Another 0.4 part portion of bismuth trioxide is added and heating is continued for an additional 45 minutes. The mixture is filtered and the filtrate is taken up in ethyl acetate and Water. The organic layer is separated, washed with water and aqueous sodium bicarbonate, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and vacuum distilled. The residue is recrystallized from ether-petroleum ether solution to give 2,17B-dihydroxyl7a-methyl-l,4-androstadien-3-one melting at approximately l78180 C., with the optical rotation a in chloroform solution of 32.9.

Substitution of 4 parts of 17a-ethyltestosterone for l7a-methyltestosterone in the first part of this example yields 2,17/3-dihydroxy-l7a-ethyl-1,4-androstadien-3-one. The compound shows infrared maxima at 2.85, 3.01 and 6.10 microns.

Example 6 To a solution of 12 parts of 2,8-hydroxytestosterone diacetate and 280 parts of methanol under nitrogen are added 60 parts of 1.01 M potassium hydroxide in methanol. After 4 minutes, 24 parts of methanol containing 3 parts of Water are added. After another 4 minutes the solution is acidified with 43 parts of 1.06 N acetic acid. The solution is concentrated and cooled. The crystalline precipitate is filtered and washed with a small amount of methanol. To a solution of 3 parts of the hydrolysis product in 15 parts of acetic acid are added 2 parts of bismuth trioxide. The mixture is heated for 15 minutes at 100 C. with stirring. A further quantity of 2 parts of bismuth tn'oxide is added and the mixture is heated for 45 minutes longer. The mixture is cooled, filtered and diluted slowly with swirling with 125 parts of water. The precipitate is filtered and washed with water and aqueous sodium bicarbonate. Recrystallization of the product from an acetone-petroleum ether solution gives 2-hydroxy-17,8-acetoxy-1,4-androstadien-3-one melting at approximately 193-195 C. The rotation a of a chloroform solution is +3.8.

Example 7 To a solution of 4 parts of potassium in 24 parts of tertiary butyl alcohol are added 30 parts of 2,17,8-dihydroxy-l,4-androstadien-3-one and 2.3 parts of methyl iodide. The solution is refluxed for /2 to 1 hour. The

mixture is filtered and the filtrate is vacuum distilled. The residue is taken up in acetone, filtered, concentrated, diluted with ether-petroleum ether, and cooled. The precipitate is recrystallized from acetone. There is thus obtained 2-methoxy-l7fl-hydroxy-1,4-androstadien-3-one melting at about 226-227 C. The rotation a in chloroform is --34.8.

Example 8 To a solution of 11 parts of 2a-hydroxy-4'androstene- 3,17-dione in 50 parts of acetic acid is added 12 parts of bismuth trioxide. The mixture is heated at C. with stirring for 30 minutes. Another 60 parts of bismuth trioxide is added and the mixture is heated for an additional 30 minutes. Then 1 part of charcoal is added and the mixture is filtered. The filtrate is diluted with 500 parts of water and extracted with chloroform. The organic layers are combined, washed with water and aqueous sodium bicarbonate, and dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate. The solvent is vacuum distilled, and the residue is recrystallized from ether-petroleum ether solution. Recrystallization of the compound from an acetonepetroleum ether solution yields 2-hydroxy-L4-androstadien-3,17-dione melting at 157158 C. The rotation a of a chloroform solution is +36".

Example 9 A solution of 1.3 parts of desoxycorticosterone trimethylacetate and 0.5 part of N-bromosuccinimide in 400 parts of carbon tetrachloride is refluxed for 1 hour, cooled, and filtered. The filtrate is vacuum distilled at 50 C. The product is refluxed for 4 hours with 4 parts of potassium acetate in parts of acetic acid. The solution is vacuum distilled and the residue is taken up in ethyl acetate and water. The organic layer is washed with water and aqueous sodium bicarbonate, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and vacuum distilled. The product is recrystallized from an acetone-petroleum ether solution to yield 2a-acetoxy-21-trirnethylacetoxy-4-pregnene-3,20-dione melting at about 227-229 C.

To a solution of 2 parts of 2a-acetoxy-21-trimethylacetoxy-4-pregnene-3,20-dione in 160 parts of methanol and 70 parts of dichloromethane under nitrogen are added 9 parts of 1.01 M potassium hydroxide in methanol. After 4 minutes, 3.6 parts of 99% methanol are added. After another 4 minutes the mixture is acidified with 6.5 parts of 1.06 M aqueous acetic acid. The solvent is then vacuum distilled and the solution is diluted with water. Recrystallization of the product from an acetone-petroleum other solution yields Za-hydroxy-21-trimethylacetoxy-4-pregnene-3,ZO-dione melting at about 221223 C.

To a warm solution of 2 parts of Za-hYdIOXY-Zl-tlimethylacetoxy-4-pregnene-3,20-dione in 20 parts of acetic acid are added 1.3 parts of bismuth trioxide. The mixture is heated at 120 C. with stirring for 15 minutes and another 1.3 parts of bismuth trioxide are added. The mixture is heated for an additional 45 minutes, charcoal is added and the mixture is filtered. Upon dilution with a small amount of water and cooling, crystals precipitate. The product is filtered and washed with water. The precipitate is recrystallized from an acetonepetroleum ether solution to give 2-hydroxy-2l-trimethylacetoxy-l,4-pregnadiene-3,20-dione melting at about 255- 226 C. The rotation 1 in dioxane is +90.

Substitution of 1.3 parts of desoxycorticosterone hexanoate for desoxycorticosterone trimethylacetate in the first part of this example yields 2a-hydroxy-2l-hexanoyloxy-l,4-pregnadiene3,20-dione. The compound shows infrared maxima at 2.90 and 6.10 microns.

Example 10 To a stirred refluxing mixture of 15 parts of 17a-hydroxy 21 trimethylacetoxy-4-pregnene-3,11,20-trione in 550 parts of chlorobenzene, 500 parts of carbon tetrachloride, and 35 parts of a 10% solution of pyridine in auteur) carbon tetrachloride there are added 6.5 parts of N- bromosuccinirnide. The mixture is refluxed with stirring for minutes under an infrared lamp. The organic solution is washed rapidly with water and dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate. The carbon tetrachloride and about 340 parts of chlorobenzene are vacuum distilled. The residual solution is diluted with petroleum ether and the precipitate is filtered, washed with carbon tetrachloride and petroleum ether and vacuum distilled. The product is refluxed with 5 6 parts of potassium acetate and 1400 parts of acetic acid for 4 hours. The solution is vacuum distilled and the residue taken up in ethyl acetate and water. The organic layer is washed several times with water and aqueous sodium bicarbonate, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and vacuum distilled. Upon recrystallization of the residue from methanol, there is obtained 2u-acetoxy-17u-hydroxy-21-trimethylacetoxy-4pregnene-3,1 1,20-trione.

To a solution of 2 parts of 2u-acetoxy-17a-hydroxy-21- trimethylacetoxy-4pregnene-3,11,20-trione in 12 parts of methanol in 14 parts dichloromethane under nitrogen there are added 5 parts of 0.8 M potassium hydroxide in methanol. After 4 minutes 3.2 parts of 99% methanol are added. The product begins to separate during the reaction period. After 30 minutes, the mixture is acidified 'with 6.3 parts of 1 M acetic acid. The precipitate is filtered and washed with water. Upon recrystallization trom acetone there is obtained 20:,170c-dihYdI0XY-21-1Zl'imethylacetoxy-4-pregnene-3,11,20-trione melting at about 276-278 C.

To a warm solution of 1 part of 2a,17a-dihydroxy-21- trimethylacetoxy-4-pregnene-3,11,20-trione in 75 parts of acetic acid are added 1.1 parts of bismuth trioxide. The mixture is heated at 100 C. with stirring for 15 minutes and then another 1.1 parts of bismuth trioxide are added. After heating for an additional 45 minutes, charcoal is added and the mixture is filtered. Upon dilution with a small amount of water and cooling, crystals precipitate. The product is chromatographed on silica gel. The column is developed with benzene solutions containing increasing concentrations of ethyl acetate. The desired product is eluted with a 15% ethyl acetate in benzene solution and recrystallized from an acetone-petroleum ether solution. In this manner there is thus obtained 2,17a-dihydroxy 21 trimethylacetoxy-l,4-preg'nadiene- 3,11,20-tri0ne melting at approximately 263-265 C. The rotation a in dioxane is +161 Example 11 A solution of 1.3 parts of 17a-hydroxydesoxycorticosterone-Zl-benzoate and 0.5 part of N-bromosuccinimide in 400 parts of carbon tetrachloride is refluxed for 1 hour, cooled, and filtered. The filtrate is vacuum distilled at 50 C. The residue is refluxed for 4 hours with 4 parts of potassium acetate and 120 parts of acetic acid. The solution is vacuum distilled and the residue taken up in ethyl acetate and water. The organic layer is washed with water and aqueous sodium bicarbonate, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and vacuum distilled. The product is recrystallized from an acetone-petroleum ether solution.

To a solution of 2 parts of 2a-acetoxy-l7a-hydroxydesoxycorticosterone 21-benzoate thus obtained in 160 parts of methanol and 55 parts of dichloromethane in nitrogen are added 9 parts of 1 M potassium hydroxide in methanol. After 4 minutes, 3.6 parts of 99% methanol are added. After another 4 minutes the mixture is acidified with 6.5 parts of 1.06 M aqueous acetic acid. The dichloromethane is then vacuum distilled and the residual solution is diluted with water. Upon recrystallization from an acetone-petroleum ether solution there is obtained 2a,17a-dihydroxydesoxycorticosterone 21-benzoate.

To a warm solution of 2 parts of 206,17oc-dihYdIOXY- desoxycorticosterone 21-benzoate and parts of acetic are added 1.3 parts of bismuth trioxide. The mixture is 6 heated at 6. with stirring for 1-5 minutes, and then another 1.3 part portion of bismuth trioxide is added and heating is continued tor an additional 45 minutes. Charcoal is added and the mixture is filtered. Upon dilution with a small amount of water and cooling, crystals precipitate. The product is filtered, washed with water, and recrystallized from an acetone petroleum ether solution to give 2,17a-dihydroxy-1,4-pregnadiene-3,20-dione 21- benzoate. v I

To a solution of 2 parts .of 2,17adihydroxy-1,4- pregnadiene3,20-dione 21 benzoate in parts of methanol and 55 parts of 'dichloromethane in nitrogen are added 9 parts of 1 M potassium hydroxide in methanol. The mixture is let stand at room temperatures for several hours, and 3.6 parts of 99% methanol are added. The mixture is then acidified with 6.5 parts of 1.06 M aqueous acetic acid. The dichloromethane is vacuum distilled and the residual solution is diluted with water. Upon recrystallization from an acetone-petroleum ether solution there is obtained 2,17a,21-trihydroxy-1,4- pregnadiene-3,20-dione.

One part of the 2,17a,2l-trihydroxy-l,4-pregnadiene- 3,20-dione is stirred with 5000 parts of citrated beef blood and 5000 parts of 0.85% aqueous sodium chloride solution. This solution is perfused 3 times through a surviving beef adrenal, which is cannulated through the vein and has a finely lacerated surface. The per-' fusate is then extracted with isopropyl acetate. This extract is dried by azeotropic distillation and then concentrated to a residue of about 20 parts. After dilution with about 400 parts of benzene the solution is poured into a chromatography column containing silica gel. The column is developed with benzene solutions containing increasing concentrations of ethyl acetate. Elution with a 40% solution of ethyl acetate and benzene and concentration of the eluate yields 2,l1B,17a,2l-tetrahydroxy-1,4-pregnadiene-3,20-dione. The product shows infrared maxima at 2.90, 5.83, and 6.10 microns and a broad band at 2.97 microns.

Example 12 What is claimed is: 1. A compound of the structural formula on; CH3

wherein X is a member of the class consisting of methylene and carbonyl groups and the hydroxymethylene group in which the hydroxyl radical is in the (3-position and Z is.a member of the class consisting of the carbonyl group and radicals of the formula 8 2. A compound of the structural formula 6. 2,11fl,17oc,21 tetrahydroxy 1,4 pregnadiene CH 3,20-dione.

lower Hum) 7. 2,17u,21 trihydroxy 1,4 pregnadiene 3,11,20 trione. j 1 5 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS HO 2,748,150 Bergsttom May 29, 1956 10 2,783,226 Gould et a1. Feb. 26, 1957 2,805,231 Dodson et a1. Sept. 3, 1957 Eng-31,1275 dlhydroxy 17oz methyl 1,4 androstad1- OTHER REFERENCES 4. 2,17p-dihydroxy-1,4-androstadien-3-one.

Rosenkranz et al.: I.A.C.S. 77, 145148 (1955). 5. Z-hydroxy-l,4-pregnadiene-3,20-dione. 15

Camerino et a1.: J.A.C.S. 78, 3540-1 (1956). 

1. A COMPOUND OF THE STRUCTURAL FORMULA 